The Cowboys have already seen enough from a few of their rookies to feel comfortable moving them along in the preseason. Caleb Downs looks like he can be a difference-maker, and Jaishawn Barham has done enough to put himself on track as a possible starter later on, even if an injury has limited him.
But not everyone on the rookie list can afford to coast into the finish line of August.
Saturday night is about getting more answers, and for Dallas, that means more snaps for a handful of players who still have something to prove. The most important of them may be Malachi Lawrence, who needs real preseason work after a strong run in practice.
Lawrence has flashed plenty already. He got to the quarterback in the joint practice against the New Orleans Saints, then followed that with another sack the next day against Terence Steele. That’s a promising start, but the Cowboys need to see it carry over when the pads are on and the snaps count in a game setting.
The edge-rusher picture has also shifted with the addition of Von Miller. What once looked like a clearer path for Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Lawrence has become more crowded, and that makes Lawrence’s development even more relevant. Dallas has to sort out the bottom of the depth chart, and how Lawrence handles his chances could help determine whether the team keeps things tight at the position or leans on more veteran insurance while he keeps growing.
He’s still a first-round pick, and that means the bar is higher. The Cowboys can’t just park him for the rest of the preseason and call it good. They need to see him on meaningful passing downs and get a better feel for what kind of athletic edge rusher he can be.
Anthony Smith is in a different fight, but the stakes are just as real. He had a solid showing against the Seattle Seahawks, even if Camden Brown grabbed most of the attention. Smith brings size and enough speed to threaten defenses both vertically and horizontally, and that matters with the top of the receiver depth chart already set.
CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin are locked in at the top. Brown made a strong push for the fifth spot. That leaves Smith trying to close ground on Brown and hold off Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jonathan Mingo for what could be the last opening.
Dallas would probably rather keep the younger options if it can. Smith and Brown are on cheaper deals, while Valdes-Scantling and Mingo are both in the final year of their contracts.
That’s part of why another productive outing from Smith against Arizona on Saturday could matter. The Cowboys may be able to stash him or bring him back through the practice, but they still need more evidence before making that call.
The clearest opportunity may belong to Tommy Dunn and DJ Withers. The two Kansas undrafted rookies are both trying to carve out spots as rotational interior linemen, and the timing works in their favor. Dallas needs help on the defensive line, especially at nose tackle.
Otito Ogbonnia is listed as the starter there, but the depth behind him has become shaky. Jay Toia is the top backup, yet he left Thursday with an elbow injury.
Kevin Gilliam, who plays more of an under tackle and five-technique role but may have gotten some nose work this week, also went out. If both are out this week, Dunn and Withers have a real chance to see extended run.
Against Arizona’s deep running back group, both should have plenty of chances in the middle of the defense. If the Cowboys want a better read on the back end of their roster, this is the kind of game where Dunn and Withers can help provide it.
In Other News...
Eagles Rookie Is Giving Cowboys Fans A Reason To Laugh
Training camp has already given Cowboys fans one small comfort in Philadelphia, and it comes courtesy of a rookie tight end who was supposed to help stabilize the Eagles passing game. Eli Stowers, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has instead spent much of camp and the preseason fighting to find his footing, with his blocking and receiving both drawing scrutiny as the Eagles try to sort through a depth chart battered by injuries at receiver.
For Dallas, the details are almost beside the point. Any time a division rival invests premium draft capital and then sees the early returns wobble, it invites the kind of unflattering comparisons that stick around, and Stowers has already been mentioned in the same breath as JJ Arcega-Whiteside, another second-round Eagles pick who never lived up to the billing. The bigger issue for Philadelphia is immediate pressure, because the injuries around him leave the rookie with even less margin for error as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Real Roster Decision At Two Key Spots
The Cowboys got a useful look at a few roster battles in their second preseason game, and it did more than just fill out the exhibition calendar. Joe Milton kept building his case to be the backup quarterback, while wide receivers Camden Brown and Jonathan Mingo both put themselves in the conversation for final roster spots. With cutdowns approaching, Dallas is watching not just who plays well, but who keeps stacking productive snaps when the competition gets tighter.
Snap counts are becoming part of the conversation too, which is usually a sign the decisions are getting real. The Cowboys are sorting through a deeper receiving mix and weighing how much value each player brings beyond one good night in August, and they are also open to exploring trades if that helps shape the 53-man roster. For a team trying to balance upside, depth and certainty, the next few evaluations may matter as much as anything that happened in the preseason opener. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Face A Tough QB Roster Decision
Dak Prescott is locked in as the Cowboys starter, but the competition behind him has become one of the more interesting roster questions in camp. Sam Howell and Joe Milton III have both put together strong preseason stretches, enough to make Dallas at least consider carrying all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster even though teams usually prefer to keep just two.
Todd Archer of ESPN projects that possibility, and it speaks to how much the backup battle has shifted from a routine depth issue to a real decision point. The Cowboys still have not settled the spot behind Prescott, and with the preseason winding down, the outcome is less about naming a favorite and more about deciding whether either Howell or Milton has done enough to force an extra quarterback onto the roster. [Read more 🡒]